Can't Live, Can't Die
by OpheliaTheActress
Summary: Set in the zombie apocalypse: Eponine, a lone survivor finally encounters a group of other survivors. Meeting a girl who turns her miserable life around, Eponine will do anything in her power to protect her. Will they be safe? Femslash, don't like, don't read.
1. Chapter 1

**Zombie apocalypse AU, if you hate zombies, then you have come to the wrong place, friends.**

_**-Ophelia**_

* * *

_"'Ponine, I'm scared," her little brother started shaking __uncontrollably._

_Her tears rushed to her eyes as she held him tightly in her __arms._

She shook herself out of the memory. She had to keep moving forward. No stopping, or she knew the consequences. Taking a deep breath, she took her back off the wall she rested on and just walked.

Eponine didn't know where she was going, she never knew. You could say that she was lost but she would deny it. Being lost means you're trying to find a destination but you can't reach it due to a strange atmosphere. And Eponine just walked. Moved from place to pace. Survived.

She held the metal bat in her arms as she swung it in the air a couple times, she was testing out her sore arm from the last attack. She barely made it out alive. All she did was stop at a pharmacy to hopefully get a few supplies but what she didn't know was that it was raided with the _monsters_. Well, that's what she called the unholy things. The monsters were basically corpses that walked around and ate the living. Nothing about them was human.

'Ponine found that out the hard way.

She adjusted the backpack over her shoulders and walked to the unfamiliar town. It looked like a small downtown area with small business shops that were structured side by side. It looked _dead_ and it was quiet. There weren't any monsters around, she assumed. She thought about going to, what looked like, a drug store. But taking what she had just experienced, she changed her mind. She can last on what was in her bags for about another week before needing to get more supplies.

The sky was getting dark, which meant she needed to find a safe place to stay. This was always the hardest part of surviving, finding somewhere safe. Because right when she settles, the monsters tear it all apart.

"Pet store," she read the sign out loud of the run down store. Slowly walking up to it, she made sure it would be clear. Taking in a deep breath she opened the door.

Clear so far.

She took the baseball bat and tapped the glass very softly, hoping to attract any that were in there to go towards the sound. Just in case, she whistled as well. Not a sound. This was safe.

She entered through the door and observed what it once used to be. There were empty tanks on shelves where some of the fish used to be. Blood was splattered on the wall something else caught her eye. A pocket knife was on the counter where an old telephone and some papers were stacked. Without hesitation, she took the knife and stuffed it in her pocket.

She sat on the floor and leaned back against the blood splattered wall. Taking off her torn up backpack, she emptied it's contents: 8 boxes of matches, a bottle of water, four cans of beans, a lighter, family picture, and her red and black plaid shirt she used as a blanket for cold night such as this one.

All she needed now was something to burn.

Walking up to the once front desk, she took the papers that were left on there and set them where she spilled her supplies. It would be a quick fire but hopefully it would at least warm the room for a little bit.

Grabbing her one of the match boxes, she lit one and set it close to the papers to get the fire going. At last they burned in a glorious orange and yellow color they kept her legs and arms warm. Eponine sadly watched it burn away in a matter of minutes but it did the job to warm her up. After rubbing her hands together for a brief moment, she grabbed on of the cans of beans. Using her new pocket knife she opened it without struggle and ate what she had.

While savoring each bean, she looked over at the wallet sized family photo that rested on the floor. She wanted to look at it, live the life she once used to live inside her head. But she knew it would be painful to look back at them. She couldn't do that to herself, she couldn't forgive herself. Thankfully it was face down she wouldn't have to see their faces. She grabbed it and set back in her backpack, out of her sight.

Eponine hated surviving on her own, she often questioned if there were even any people around anymore. The thought of being the only human left on the planet broke her a part. What if she was the last person alive? What if the whole world was full of the monsters? How would life ever start again? Would it really be the end? Is this really the end? She once held onto hope that it would all die down, but that was in the beginning when only a few people in the world were getting infected. But when she first saw a herd of them, she knew that hoping was useless.

She even asked questions that made her want to stop surfing such as: 'What's the point? It'll happen to me any day now. What's the point?'.

It was now completely dark inside the 'Pet store' and she felt it was ' safe enough' to close her eyes.

* * *

When the sun rose, Eponine knew it was time to keep moving.

Packing up again, she clutched her baseball bat in her hands and walked the streets again.

Vacant cars were in all sorts of positions. Some of them were even on their sides. Eponine could just imagine what it was like for a car to get that way.

Humming under breath, she lightly swung at the air and heard the faint sound of feet shuffling. Stopping in her tracks, she listened for it again. It was coming from behind her.

Whipping around she examined the monster. Small and had pig tails and blodd smeared blonde hair. Her face was rotting, a large gash was presented on her bare shoulder. It was a disgusting sight.

"Hey you sick monster," Eponine sang, "you hungry? Hungry? Huh?" She lured it in by using her 'pet friendly voice'. It was getting faster but monsters never ran. They were too stupid.

It's pale rotten arms reached in Eponine's direction as it was getting closer. It snarled and growled as it was only a few feet from her.

With all her might, Eponine swing her bat at the monster's head with a grunt. The impact was worse than Eponine imagined it to be. The head of the monster went flying off its body and hit a nearby.

Laughing to herself, she cleaned the side of the baseball bat where it met the brain of the monster.

Her celebration was interrupted by voices.

Only people talk.

Her knees almost gave out when she hid behind a nearby car. Were there actually people or was she imagining it? There couldn't possibly people. It was only Eponine, right?

"I'm starved," she heard a boy's voice.

It was in fact a real human. A boy even. She peered her head above the hood to catch a glimpse of the walking figure-figures...It was a group! A group! Eponine was saved!

There were five boys and one girl. All the men had dark hair but the girl had strikingly golden hair.

"We'll find food soon," another boy said.

"I heard it somewhere over here," the girl spoke up.

This was her chance, but why wasn't she moving? After all this time of walking around by herself, she found actual living people! Her heart nearly stopped.

"It was a voice, I swear it was," another man said.

"Or maybe we're all just lacking sleep and-"

"What the _hell _is that?!" She looked to see what the boy with black curly hair was pointing to...it was almost as if he were pointing at her.

Upon realizing this, she ducked back under the hood and tried her best to calm down her intense breathing.

"Over there!"

Footsteps ran in her direction and she was going off instinct now by crawling away.

"Holy shit," a boy shouted.

It was too late, the group already spotted her. They were armed with pistols and knives. Was this how she was going to die? By humans? Not monsters? Closing her eyes she held her hands above her head, a final act to show that she meant no harm.

"Don't shoot, don't shoot," The blonde spoke up.

Opening just one eye, Eponine examined her. She was the same age as her...all six of the survivors were.

"Look she's harmless," she told the boy with the raised handgun that aimed at Eponine.

He didn't look away, "No, we can't assume that anymore, you know what happened to Combeffere. I will not let this group go through that again," He glared at Eponine, "Where is your group?"

Was this an interrogation now? Eponine swallowed through the lump that formed in her throat, "I don't have a group," she said timidly.

"She's lying," she gun man said.

"God damn! She's harmless, I said!" The blonde spoke against the 'leader' of the group.

"If we leave her here, she'll follow us back to camp," the boy with black curls said, "Take her back to the camp and we question her there," he reasoned with the leader.

"Tie her up," the leader ordered the blonde, "but if you try anything," he warned Eppnine, I will _not_ hesitate to shoot you, understand?"

She nodded and watched the blonde two items from one of their packs. A bandana and rope. Kneeling in front of her she whispered, "I'm sorry before covering her eyes with the red bandana,"

'Great,' Eponine thought, 'the first people I encounter after months take me as their prisoner'

* * *

**Give me your thoughts!**

_**-Ophelia**_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry for the short chapter last time, I hope this chapter will satisfy you all!**

_**-Ophelia**_

* * *

Eponine was being man handled by one of the survivors she met. Her vision was blocked by the piece of fabric that was tied around her eyes. Her hands were bound behind her back leaving her completely vulnerable if they were attacked.

They must have entered a forest because the sound of twigs snapping and crunching of leaves were made after every step.

"How can someone survive with nothing but a baseball bat?" One of the boys asked.

"She must be extremely dangerous," she recognized the voice as the leader.

"Or just really smart," The girl said.

Eponine hated the fact that they were talking about her as if she wasn't there. The first people she has ever encountered for months treats her like a deaf prisoner, "Why are you defending her?" Another boy asked.

"I-I wasn't defending her-I was just saying that she probably isn't dangerous," She then added, "considering the fact that she didn't kill us,"

One of the boys laughed, "We were armed,"

"If she were _dangerous_ she would've killed us then and there,"

"With a baseball bat?"

"Well she is dangerous, isn't she?" The girl asked sarcastically.

Eponine got extremely uncomfortable. They all discussed about her as if she wasn't even a human...to them, it seemed, she was an object. Is this how people were nowadays, if there were more survivors out there? If so, Eponine thought, she'd be better on her own.

The walk seemed to go on forever but they were no longer in the forest. The ground was sturdy and not full of leaves and twigs.

"Who goes there?" a distant voice shouted, it too was male.

The leader spoke up, "Who do you think, you idiot?" he said in a smooth tone.

The other voice just chuckled, "What's all that?"

Eponine nearly shuddered at the feeling of being observed in the moment of silence, "We found her, brought her here so she doesn't end up following us later,"

"Where will you keep her?"

What was she a pet?

"The shed," The leader spoke.

Eponine froze, "Wh-no! Let me go!" She tried her best to slide her thin wrists through the rope that bound her hands.

"Easy, easy," One of the boys said.

In return for her actions, she was yanked back by her arm, "Open the barricade," The leader ordered.

"You can't keep me in a goddamned shed!" Eponine needed to flee. Be anywhere but with these sick human beings, "Let me go," With all her might, she started kicking in every direction while still trying to get her wrists out of the tight rope. She felt her leg hit something or someone.

"Ouch! Damn!" One of the boys cried.

"Contain her!"

"Knock her out!"

"Hurry she's leaving!"

Before she could even call it an escape, she was hit in the back of the head with an unknown object and blacked out.

* * *

Fluttering her heavy eyes open, she was greeted by a throbbing pain at the back of her head. It took her a while to remember what all had happened and why she was waking in a place she doesn't remember.

"Damn," she said through her teeth as she tried to sit up. She couldn't see a thing. Everything was black. For a minute, she was convinced that she was still wearing the blindfold over her eyes but she couldn't feel anything tied up round her head. Her eyes still couldn't adjust to the darkness that surrounded her.

Turning her head around, she got a small glimpse of light from an opening at the bottom of the wall. It wasn't an opening big enough to crawl out of, of course. But it was oddly cut in a perfect rectangle... This must be the shed that the group was talking about. Wow, they really did lock her up in a shed after all.

Crawling to the small opening, she hoped to see the outside atmosphere as well but was disappointed to see that it too was dark. Night had fell. She must have been out for several hours. All she could catch a quick view of where the group had taken her. What could see was grass and-a pair of black combat boots heading towards the shed. "No-no," she backed away in fear. They're going to kill her, there is no dount of that now. They'll get it over with now.

Was there anything in this shed that could protect her?

Turning around, she couldn't still couldn't see beyond the darkness. Eponine's heart raced as she saw the boots right in front of the opening, "Hey!" she said with her shaken breath, "Don't touch me!" she warned, "I-have a-hammer! And if you come at me-I-" she lied with sweat beading on her forehead.

Just before she could give out another warning, a plate slide under the small rectangle opening, "I'm not going to hurt you as long as you don't hurt me," the person called back.

She immediately recognized the voice as the girl from before, the blonde beauty, "Hey, don't go!" Eponine knew that the blonde had no intentions like the other survivors, "Can't you get me out of here?"

There was a pause, "I really would get you out, but I can't," she said, "This shouldn't last long though,"

Was this stranger comforting her? "Please, you know I'm not dangerous, you said so yourself," Eponine was desperate, "If you let me go, I'll leave and never return."

"I can't do that." She added, "I could barely make it out of the house to sneak you a plate of food,"

Eponine held her head down and knew that this was how she was going to die. In a dark shed alone.

"I'm Cosette by the way," The other girl said hesitantly.

Eponine let survival mode kick in, "Listen, Cosette," she said coldly, "I can't stay in here. This is inhumane, and you know that. And if you don't help me, I will die in here,"

There was a painful pause again, "I'm sorry,"

"Just help me!" Eponine shouted, "please!"

"I'm sorry," and then she was gone.

All she wanted to do was scream and cry but at the same time she couldn't believe that at least there was someone on her side.

She examined the plate of food that Cosette has left for her. It was bread and beans. 'I really am a prisoner,' she thought to herself. But the fact that Cosette had to sneak food to Eponine showed that they were planning to starve her out, possibly. This must be a very sick and twisted group to do that to her.

And yet this girl Cosette who she had only met today was making sure that she was getting fed.

Eponine came to the realization that she was much better off on her own before. She thought loneliness was a curse but now it seemed that trust was an issue. This group obviously doesn't trust her but instead of leaving her behind, they put her in a shed to starve.

What did she have to do to earn their trust? Cosette trusted her which was a start but not enough to get her out of the shed.

Staring at the food, she was afraid to even touch it. The fear of what was in there made Eponine feel paranoid. Would Cosette poison her? Was her sympathy fake? Did the leader of the group order her to poison her food so that they could just get her death over with?

Pushing the plate away, she curled herself up in a small ball to keep herself warm from being to exposed to the bitter cold.

_"I'm so scared, 'Ponine,"_

Eponine could her her brother's voice echoing inside her head. Haunting her, "I'm scared to, Gavroche," she said with tears in her eyes, "I'm scared too,"

* * *

Her eyes opened to the sound of distant voices coming from outside. She couldn't make out any specific words but she still felt as if they were discussing her. What scared her the most was that the voices were approaching much closer.

Her first reaction was to crawl away to the farthest distance she could get to in a small shed.

The door swung open and the brightness from outside nearly blinded Eponine, "Hey-" she cried.

"Okay well she wasn't infected." A boy said.

"I still don't think she should stay much longer, she's been out there by herself. God knows what she's capable of,"

Her eyes adjusted just enough to see the leader and another boy from yesterday in front of the opened door, "Tie her up?"

The leader nodded in approval, "Then you can take her to the basement and we'll question her there,"

Eponine shook her head, it was time that she had a say in things, "No, if you want to ask me something, you ask me here. I will not be questioned like a criminal. I've done no wrong," she glared at the leader.

"What were you doing in the street yesterday?"

"Same as you," she kept her tone cold, "getting supplies and leaving. I heard a voice and hid out of fear and shock." She added, "I haven't seen anyone else in months,"

"Were you with a group before?" The other boy asked.

Eponine didn't want to talk about him so she just gave a nod.

"What happened?"

No, even bring it up was bad enough but going in full detail would tear her apart. She wasn't healed enough to talk about it, "He's gone," and she hoped that they would be satisfied with that.

"What happened?" He repeated with more ice in his tone.

Eponine shut her eyes to get the images out of her head, "My little brother...he's just gone, okay?"

The leader folded his arms, "Why? Were you starved by the lack of supplies?"

Eponine took that like a shot the the heart, "Do you mistake me for a cannibal?"

"There are a lot sick things people do nowadays," the other boy said.

Eponine scoffed, "Yeah like putting a girl in a shed to starve and die,"

The moment of silence was filled with the exchange of glares, "Don't take this personally," the other boy opposite of the leader said.

"Marius!" The leader warned.

The other boy, Marius, ignored the leader, "This group had a bad experience with another member and we lost many because of it. Give it another week,"

The leader shot a glare, "Or two," he added, "but don't expect you'd be let off so easily. You'll have to earn your stay here," he warned, "and if you make any slip up, or even attempt one, I will not hesitate to kill you, understand?"

Eponine was intimidated, nearly shaking, "Yes," she whispered.

Then the door was closed and locked.

Wait, did they just accept her in their group?

* * *

**R/R, please!**

_**-Ophelia**_


End file.
